Mu Qiu dared not take the title, she laughed it off.
Jiang Kai became interested, took her to sit on the stone bench under the shade, and asked, "What is Cheng Zhirang like when he dates? Can you give us a hint?"
"What do you think he’s like?"
Jiang Kai rested his chin and thought, "I can only think of two phrases: ’perfect harmony’ and ’mutual respect.’ Would he really date? I feel like he’d be more suited to just being a dad directly."
Mu Qiu: "...that’s too sudden, it wouldn’t fit him. He’s more suited to following the rules."
The expression clearly had a hint of ambiguity in it.
Jiang Kai lazily smiled and stopped asking, directly exclaimed, "Now he can finally celebrate 520 on his birthday’s second day. Normally he would either be filming or just has a casual meal, and the next day he’d watch us couples strolling around. Now he can have someone to sweetly spoil him. Tsk, he’s in a good mood these days, isn’t he?"
Mu Qiu couldn’t hold back her smile, "It’s pretty great."
Just after she spoke, Cheng Zhirang called.
"Excuse me."
Jiang Kai also saw the incoming call displayed and tactfully stood up:
"Is this his halftime break? Even now he needs to call... Alright, you two can share your heartfelt words, I’ll deliver the gift and leave, until next time."
Mu Qiu nodded and watched him walk away, then she softly said to the person on the phone, "What is it? You miss me?"
That one line stopped Cheng Zhirang from speaking.
"...Don’t tease," he laughed softly, his voice gentle like water, "Did Jiang Kai give you the car keys?"
"He did, he just left."
She walked back, touching flowers and leaves as she went, murmuring, "You wealthy people are really extravagant, giving luxury cars as birthday gifts."
"If you want one, I’ll gift you a car on your birthday too?"
"Forget it, I wouldn’t use it much anyway, and the maintenance cost is so high. Are you on a halftime break now?"
"No, we haven’t started yet," Cheng Zhirang hesitated and asked, "Weren’t you waiting for the live stream to start?"
"...Ah, I planned to watch it, but your friend came by at just the wrong time."
She touched her nose, internally criticizing Jiang Kai just now. He had mentioned it was halftime, and she believed him directly.
Cheng Zhirang sighed faintly over there.
Making a beautiful person sigh is one’s fault, Mu Qiu immediately assured, "I’ll watch it when I get back, non-stop."
True to her word, after getting back she bid farewell to He Jia, saying she was going back to prepare a birthday gift for Cheng Zhirang, and on her way in the car, she opened the live streaming app.
Unable to play sound out loud in the car, she wore headphones, coinciding with the live stream just starting, the fans’ fervent screams almost rupturing her eardrums.
Surprisingly, she quickly tuned down the volume and then had the time to look at the person on stage on her screen.
Cheng Zhirang was wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and a black baseball cap today, looking nothing like a thirty-year-old.
This look was rare, and Mu Qiu quickly took a screenshot and saved it.
Below, the Cheng Zhi fans crazily shouted his name, followed by roaring "Happy Birthday," full of frenzy, warmth, excitement, and emotion, ceaselessly echoing. Some fans even had tears welling up in their eyes.
Cheng Zhirang couldn’t insert a word among the shouts but didn’t intend to quiet them immediately and just quietly and gently watched them, with a smile on his lips.
Mu Qiu rarely saw such pure, fervent and irrevocable fondness.
In the past, she never understood why Zhao Yu would insist on staying up late to make data for Su Yan’s super topic, ask her to get up in the middle of the night to grab Su Yan’s photo album, or saving money early with bright expectations for attending Su Yan’s concert.
Finally, because of Su Yan’s words, Zhao Yu chose the international trade major and is now truly working in international trade, becoming better and better.
An idol’s influence isn’t as exaggerated as some people boast it to be, nor is it as ineffective or a waste of time as some people criticize it.
"Shh, everyone please watch your voices."
While daydreaming, Cheng Zhirang finally said his first sentence. She snapped back to reality, focusing her attention back on him.
Even when talking to fans, he was gentle, holding the microphone while sitting on a high chair, chatting with everyone.
This offline live stream didn’t have many attendees, but most were long-time fans, allowing deeper conversations.
"Brother Cheng, have you finalized your acting plans for the year? Will there be any screenings this year?"
Cheng Zhirang took off his cap, listened attentively, and then responded earnestly, "Just finalized. There will be screenings this year, likely during the National Day holidays."
"If the script is just finalized, doesn’t that mean the filming time happens to clash with the last two episodes of the variety show?"
Cheng Zhirang: "It’s alright, we’ve discussed it and can coordinate, since the variety show only occurs during weekends."
"On Monday, the program team tweeted that the ninth episode requires you to watch more movies and TV shows; do you know the format? Do you need help figuring it out, maybe give us a hint?"
He laughed, shook his head, "I feel this episode will be fun. If I reveal the fun games beforehand, it won’t be as fun. And I’ve been watching quite a few movies and TV shows and even reading novels."
Upon saying the word ’novel,’ he smiled slightly.
There was a round of uproaraous cheering from below, with fans taking the opportunity to ask, "Whose novels are you reading? Mu Qiu’s? Did Mu Qiu give you a birthday gift today?"
His smile deepened, his beautiful eyes filled with gentleness, "Yes. She said there are many surprises waiting for me to return."
Mu Qiu scratched her itchy ear, removed her earphone momentarily, and replaced it with a smile on her lips.
When did she mention many surprises? This person truly...
The Cheng Zhi fans laughed uproariously again.
"Brother Cheng can finally celebrate 520 tomorrow, aren’t you happy? You haven’t stopped smiling today."
"Finding a girlfriend surely is a good thing for Brother Cheng, visibly happier!"
The host helping moderate the event jokes as well, "Mu Qiu must be watching the live stream now, should we help ask about what surprises there are?"
"I’ve told you they’re surprises; I can’t let you know." Cheng Zhirang laughed as he responded.
A Cheng Zhi fan instantly asked aloud, "Do you two have a date tomorrow? Where can we bump into you?!"
Before he could respond, an energetic Cheng Zhi fan jumped in to answer, "Of course a day like this means a date inside the room, you’ll never bump into them!"
The host: "Pfft—you all shouldn’t be so excessive; Brother Cheng might get embarrassed."
Chen Song also helped smooth things over, handing Cheng Zhirang a bottle of water.
Cheng Zhirang’s fingers rested on his brows, covering half his face as he lowered his head and laughed helplessly.
He didn’t blush, but Mu Qiu watching the live stream did feel a bit of heat on her face.
What does a date in a room mean? Cheng Zhi fans are undoubted lsp.
She coughed quietly, lowering her head to continue watching.
Under the host’s "steering the conversation," the discussion returned to more serious matters. The career fans asking about his work plans for the next two years, the mom fans inquiring about his health after joining the variety show, and there were life-event fans leading their sons, asking when he could bring the baby to join a family variety show.
To the last question, his response was—
"I’ll try my best."